Have you ever lost a bet and had to buy lunch for a coworker ?
Me too. Lotsa times.
I sometimes use it as a means of creating a bond between those who are in a support position for me.
They don’t get as many perks as I do, so I lose bets to them every now and then and buy them a lunch or some donuts or whatever.
They love to get into my wallet and I love making ‘em feel like they got something over on me.
They like me more than any of the other sales people in our organization and that works in my favor.
It’s kinda like an organized bribe on my part and they never seem to notice that I lose almost every bet.
I lost another one last week to a young man whose butt I ride all the time, trying to get him to catch on to more things and trying to get him to be a bit better. When it starts to get to him, I lose a bet and he feels better.
I went to pick up our lunches and the hostess was, how shall we put this …. stupid ? An idiot ? Worthless ?
Yeah, those will do … for a start.
I asked her if I could pick up a couple of sandwiches to go and she said she would try to find someone to take my order, but ” … they all are real good at hiding out in their places and I have trouble finding them, but when I hide, they find me. “
At this point, I wasn’t real sure who “they” were, but I was hoping it wasn’t the people from I Am Legend or the things in The Mist.
About 15 minutes into my ordeal, which I won’t document here ( I’m saving it for a podcast ), a mother and son came in. The boy looked to be 14 to 16.
The hostess with the leastess says to the young man, ” Why ain’t you in school ? “
Not Hi, not welcome to XXX ( name withheld to protect my bank account ), not anything that you’d expect from a hostess.
The young man said, ” I’m homeschooled. ”
So The Brain says, ” Oh, that means you get to play hooky and eat lunch. “
I myself went to a public school and ate lunch every day, so I don’t know where she went or if she actually went.
So here’s the questions I have:
Will that mother and son ever eat there again ?
Will the management ever find out that she’s a complete and finely tuned utter fool ?
Can she and will she affect the repeat business ?
Would you let it bother you and would you go back if you were that mother and son ?
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This lady showed a complete and total lack of professionalism – she certainly isn’t alone there, unfortunately.
While it’s usually a good thing to be personable and to “be yourself,” that doesn’t work very well if “yourself” is rude and inconsiderate.
As a mother who homeschooled, I’ve heard it all – I was even reprimanded once by a Wal-Mart cashier who could barely string 4 words together! That was a highlight.
I despise the ignorance shown by people who would try to undermine a parent in front of their children. But that’s just it – it’s ignorance on their part. They don’t think of it that way. So, no, I wouldn’t let one uncool person keep me from a restaurant. Society’s getting to the point where a person would have to stay home if that were the case.
An employee does reflect on a business, however, and a hostess isn’t any different. If I were the mother, I would have told her (when leaving) what I thought. NEVER tell a worker in a food establishment anything before your food’s served – just not a good practice. Even if they don’t WORK in the kitchen, they can get word to the kitchen. The stories I’ve heard!
What makes the situation completely priceless is that it was actually Spring Break in Owensboro that week. Of course, even if it WEREN’T, homeschooled kids do get to eat, too.
1. No.
2. If she made it all the way to hostess, probably not.
3. Yes.
4. See 1.
Mike,
That’s a perfectly awful story that is repeated all over the place every day. Condescending and idiotic in one very dim package. Who hires these people, and where on earth do they find them? Is there a place to find people who couldn’t graduate big-box-store training or fast-food-training so you can make sure you have the absolute worst Customer Service people on your front lines?
Maybe it’s intended to make it a relief when your waiter is merely incompetent. “At least it’s not the host.”
The big question: will you go back?
Thanks for a laugh and a frown in the same read. Loved it.
Regards,
Kelly
@ Joi – Thanks for taking time to comment and add immeasurably to my conversation ! Your blog rocks !
@ Kelly – Thanks for coming by !
I’ll probably not go there unless someone asks me to join them, in which case I wouldn’t say anything…probably. Maybe. Hmmm…
The biggest fool in the place is the person that interviewed her and hired her.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
Simple.
How great is she? lol
Yes, that kind of person, the frontliners are the lowest paid, most visible people in an organization, and MAN do they make an impact in how our businesses are perceived and who comes back in the doors.
You mentioned a podcast and forgive me for being stupid but I can’t find a link to it anywhere and after such a great teaser/build-up for it.
Help me out Rich and tell me where I mentioned a podcast. I have put up several audio’s from teleseminars and I am starting a podcast, so who knows what I could have let slip.
Thanks for coming by, and for the Trackback !
I’ll get on the podcast right away !
I’ve stopped doing business with a variety of businesses because their “front line” people were morons. Among them,
• a car lube shop
• a sandwich shop
• a restaurant
• a car wash
The cumulative power of idiocy takes a heavy toll on businesses. But I suspect the real harm is done by the moron manager who hired the waitress you encountered. I often wonder how the morons I encounter get hired. I mean, how good could they possibly be in an interview? Some businesses deserve bankruptcy.
You’re right Leonard.
The interviewer/manager is the real idiot here and deserves to have his business be fronted by a fool !
I was in the restaurant business for many years and one thing you learn pretty quickly is host/hostess is the most important position in the restaurant. They are the first impression the customer gets when he opens the door and the last person they see when they leave. The hostess controls the entire flow of the restaurant and affects every other job function. A great hostess can turn a bad customer experience into a repeat customer. And a bad hostess can spoil a great meal before the customer even gets to the table.
James
Thanks for adding to the conversation James.
You’re absolutely correct.
Come back soon !
What was wrong with the hostess asking the boy why was he not in school,
at least she may have been concerned. And as for the word “ain’t ” its in the dictionary now so back off on that !….It depends on what part of the country you live in …don’t like it don’t move there….
Hi Lainey,
It ain’t about the ain’t and I ain’t sure where you got that.
It’s about the homeschool=hookey part of the conversation.
Other than that, if you don’t see all the problems from this, like every other commenter did, you ain’t worth explainin’ it too.
Don’t like it, don’t read it.
Wow.
I have had that experience so many times, it’s simply disgusting. I was homeschooled as well, and it’s incredible how many employees (and often employers) will casually insult both myself and family. Sure they didn’t mean anything by it, but they still said it. It still shocks me how people can be so…dense? to the people who are about to pay their rent.
But great story. I stumbled it.
Thanks Shaun !
I appreciate the help. Come back soon !